Emily Portman

Emily Portman is a singer, writer and concertina player based in the North East of England. With her 2010 debut album gaining her two BBC Folk Award nominations, Emily is fast gaining a reputation for her songwriting talent and ‘lark-like’ voice. Now performing extensively with Rachel Newton and Lucy Farrell as the Emily Portman Trio, Emily first cut her teeth on the folk scene with harmony trio The Devils Interval, annually tours with Waterson:Carthy, and has commendations from folk luminaries including Shirley Collins and Bagpuss’s own Sandra Kerr.
Emily originally hails from Glastonbury, where, raised on a diet of fairytales and Somerset folklore she began songwriting at the age of six, starting out with a keyboard, a tape recorder and a thirst for blood-curdling stories. After years immersed in traditional songs, Emily’s return to songwriting has already grabbed attention across the BBC, with a live session for radio 6, airplay on radio 2, and with radio 3’s ‘Words and Music’ broadcasting live performances of songs from her album at their ‘Free Thinking’ Festival. Emily has recently appeared at The Kings Place, London, The Sage Gateshead and at festivals including The Big Chill, The Green Man and Dranouter (Belguim). She is also making waves beyond the folk scene, being featured as a soloist on the BBC’s adaptation of ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ as well as appearing on alt-folk songwriter Alasdair Roberts’ latest album.
Emily’s debut solo album ‘The Glamoury’ has been received with overwhelming critical acclaim, with The Observer hailing it ‘A remarkable and original debut’ and Radio 2’s Mike Harding calling it ‘ the raw stuff of the great ballads. Inspired by the darker underbelly of folklore and balladry, Emily weaves harmony-rich narratives of both the magical and the monstrous, accompanied by viola player Lucy Farrell (fresh from touring with The Unthanks) and Harpist Rachel Newton of The Shee. These visceral visions of a darker Albion conjure landscapes where mythical sirens collide in urban backstreets. ‘The Glamoury’ recently made Mojo and fRoots top ten Folk albums of the year.